being sick in Korea

When working with kids, the common cold is a real occupational hazard, especially in winter, and Korea is no exception. With the cold weather finally descending on southern South Korea the usual coughs, runny noses and fevers are making their way around the school and, as has happened the last two years, I have caught it. Now being sick is never fun, but I find it especially harsh in Korea where, short of being on your death bed, you are considered fit to work or attend school. This leads to many... many many many children who would have stayed home in Canada coming to school and spreading viruses everywhere. Combine that with the Korean aversion to covering their mouths when coughing or sneezing and you have cold epidemics :)

Now I should state for the record that I find many westerners seem to feel the need to take a sick day when they have anything worse than the hiccups and that I find many people WAY too quick to say "oh, not feeling 100%. better stay home". The fact is is that I am perfectly able to work, I just don't do a very good job of it now because I'm not feeling well :) That being said, Koreans have swung the other way to such an extreme that people come to work with serious viruses that DO require a day or two to rest. This is equally true of the students who come to work with things growing out of their eyes or noses that would have House scratching his head. I wish the ones who are really sick would just stay home, as they would slow the spread of the viruses and they would get better much faster.

For now, the best thing to do is hit the pharmacy and get their over the counter cough meds (of which they only give you 2 days worth), vitamin tablets and drink lots of fluid..... ie. the common sense stuff Grandma taught you. Fortunately my cold this year is much better than last years (knock on wood) and a good nights sleep should set me right.